1. Technical Field
The present invention is related generally to immunochemical assays. More particularly, the present invention is related to enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting in a sample of human body fluid the presence of particular antibodies having specific binding affinity for certain neuropeptides and drugs.
2. State of the Art
Despite the general principles for immunochemical assays being well known in the art, an assay having the reliability and specificity for detecting the presence of antibodies against neuropeptides or drugs in the human blood sample or body fluid has not heretofore been developed. Clearly, therefore, due to the lack of such an assay, the occurrence or presence in human body fluid of antibodies having specificity against certain neuropeptides or drugs has also not heretofore been established.
There are no prior descriptions of antibodies to brain peptides in human or an association of such antibodies with any disorder. However, the importance of idiotypic networks has been described in some autoimmune diseases. Antibodies raised against anti-hormone antibodies have the potential to bind and either block or stimulate the hormone receptor. Anti-idiotypes which mimic binding and physiological characteristics of hormone or neurotransmitter have been demonstrated for the B-adrenergic receptor in asthma and allergic rhinitis, insulin receptor in diabetes mellitus and the acetylcholine receptor in hyperthyroidism. In various systems or disease states the appearance of idiotypic and anti-idiotypic antibodies contributing to immune network regulation are cyclical and can potentially reverse or arrest the progression of pathology induced by the idiotype. It is possible that the dynamic steady state of an idiotype anti-idiotype network for brain peptides and their receptors is perturbed in the natural cyclical course of affective disorder and by the introduction of cross-reacting antigens in opiate substance abuse. Although one may postulate that the anti-idiotype is some how pertinent to the pathophysiology of psychobiological disorders, this has not been conclusively demonstrated. However, it is possible that variations in the ratio of idiotype to anti-idiotype and variations in cerebral localization could contribute to variations in clinical presentation.
The present invention is the first to describe antibodies to brain peptides and has developed an immunodiagnostic test which provides more rational neuropathophysiological diagnostical and therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, the present invention is the first to demonstrate the potential influence of the immune network on CNS function. Data presented herein identifies and characterizes antibodies to B-endorphin, somatostatin, enkephalins and nerve growth factor, detected for the first time in human plasma, using an enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). This demonstration provides a basis for identification and purification of antibodies to brain peptides from large samples of patients with neuropsychiatric impairment.